Automobile-creeper



W. J. BROOME.

AUTOMOBILE CREEPER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-26,1920.

"1,349,941 a ted Aug- 17, 1920.

"but I have provided a UNITED STATES WILLIAM J. BROOME, or Los ANGELIE'S, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMOBILE-GREEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed January 26, 1920. Serial No. 354,292.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. BROOME, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, Angeles and State of vented new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Creepers, in is a specification.

y invention relates to and has for a main object the provision of a substantial and convenient automobile creeper device, whereby mechanics, or others, when reposing thereupon may move and support ,themselves comfortably beneath an automobile during the course of making repairs.

Heretofore, been made and used but-I have sought to provide and will clearly set forth in this specification a form of which will afford adjustments conveniently mounted for rendering the same-stationary when properly positioned beneath the machine and inca'-- pable of further movement except at the will of the user; also adjustments for raising and lowering a head support or rest and for supporting said rest at different positions above the level of the creeper bed so as to afford greater convenience and comfort for the user than would be possible, without such devices. Usually; head rests are not provided in devices of the said character, padded rest, or pillow which will be more particularly referred to hereinafter.

Another objectof my invention is to provide a light weight structure having a maxof warping due to extended use. Such a frame is preferably of metal straps having the creeper elevated from the floor and the head rest alsoelevated to a maximum extent in the county of Los California, have inof which the follow-- devices for this purpose haveeach end of the frame 7, and

imum load carrying capacity and incapable" on brackets 15, 15,

. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the same showing the head rest lowered;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, in elevation, of the elevating means for my device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse section of the same.

As shown clearly in said drawing, the bed of my' device is composed of side angle members 1, 1, and angle members 2, 2, longitudinal slats 3, 3, and transverse slats 4, 4:, etc., the corners of'the bed being provided with diagonal braces 5, 5, etc., and said slats being laced together after the fashion of a chair bottom. Said slats are preferably of very thin metal so as to afford a maximum resiliency.

Casters, 6, 6, etc., are suitably mounted near the corners of the frame on the braces 5, 5, etc.,or at other'suitable points and aflord means whereby the creeper may be transported or moved over the floor to suitable points beneath an automobile when it may be necessary for a mechanic to position himself under the car for the purpose of making repairs.

A head rest is provided at one end of ,the bed and is composed of a metal frame 7 and a pillow or rest 8, suitably attached thereto. The frame 7 is pivotally supported on the upper portion of the creeper bed by means of a pair of parallel bars, 7, 7, at attached to the sides 1, 1, of the creeper frame. Latch bars9, 9, are pivoted at 10, .10, to the ends of frame 7 near the front edge and the free ends of said latches have notches 11 therein which are adapted to hook over pins 12 and 13 attached to members 1, 1. As shown in Fig. 1, when the head rest is elevated to a maximum extent, said latches will engage the pins 12 and when lowered as shown in Fig. 2, the latches will hook over the pins 13, for holding the rest stationary at either position. This adjustment of the head rests permits the raising or lowering of the head to suit the comfort of the user and relieves the strain of holding the head which would otherwise result.

After the creeper has been moved into position beneath an automobile it is desirable that it should be stationary nd incapable of movement excepta-tthe wi l of the user. I have provided means, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, for this purpose, said means consisting of front legs 1 1, 14, pivotally held attached to members 1,

1, of the frame and connected together for simultaneous operation by means of an operating member having a horizontal portion 16 extending across the full width of the bed and handles 17, 17, adapted to rest on the top edge of the angles 1, 1,'for holding said legs erect as shown in full lines or upwardly as shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, depending upon which way the handles 17, 17, are directed.

Rear legs 18, 18, are also provided and pivotally attached to the members, 1, 1, and are operatively connected with the front legs by means of rods or links 19, 19. Legs 18, 18, are pivoted on a transverse rod 20 which extends, like member 16 entirely across the bed of the creeper.

It will be thus observed that when the handles 17 are turned to the left from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the legs 14 and 18 will occupy the positions shown in broken lines in said figure, and in such case, the creeper will rest on the casters 6, whereas, when elevated as described, the casters will be elevated above the floor with the bed.

I conceive it to be possible to alter my device in the details of structure shown and described, within the limits and scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or enlarging the scope of my invention.

. What I claim is:

1. An automobile creeper comprising a bed, a pair of legs pivotally held on each side thereof and normally disposed in substantially horizontal planes, connecting rods between the legs of each pair, and a trans verse operating member connecting the opposite legs of each pair and having handles at the side of said bed, whereby said device may be stationarily supported on the floor.

2. A creeper comprising a bed having parallel side rails, a pair of spaced legs pivoted to each of said rails, connecting rods between the legs on each side of said bed, a transverse member pivotally connecting one leg of one pair with the opposite leg of the other pair, and operating means at the side of said bed adapted to engage said rails at opposite extremes of action for holding said legs parallel with and vertical to said rails.

A creeper comprising a bed having side rails, casters thereon for portably support ing said bed on the floor, oppositely hinged legs on the sides of said bed, means for cross connecting said legs for simultaneous operation, and an operating member connected with said cross connecting means for moving said legs from normally horizontal position to vertical positions and having projections engaging the sides of the bed for stantionarily supporting said bed on the floor and rendering said casters inoperative.

L. A creeper comprising a bed having casters thereon, oppositely hinged legs on the sides thereof, a transverse connecting rod attached to said legs, and means on said connecting rod for limiting the movement of and adapted to engage the sides of the bed for holding said legs in selected positions, thereby rendering said casters operative or inoperative, at will.

Signed at Los Angeles, county of-Los Angeles, and State of California, this 1st day of October, 1919.

WILLIAM J. BROOME.

In presence of LUTHER L. MACK, H. M. BRUNDAGE. 

